r matter?" cried Eugenia. "No, don't
sit down. You are to go at once to Colonel Diggs and tell him
everything--and not spare any one--and you may tell him also that--I
despise him!"

He smiled at her vehemence--it was so unlike Eugenia. "I didn't know you
took so much interest in these things," he said lightly. "I thought the
baby had cured you."

But she caught his hand and held it in her own. "Don't, Dudley," she
implored. "You know what it means to me. You know all."

His face softened as he met her eyes; but instead of replying to her
appeal he turned with a question to Galt. "Can I do any good?" he asked.
"I am willing, of course, to do what I can."

"I was going to ask you to see Diggs," said Galt quietly. "We shall
endeavour to keep his speech out of the morning papers, but it has
already appeared in the evening issue. You might secure a card from him
retracting his statements. I hardly think he knew them to be false."

"I'll go at once," replied Dudley. He went into the hall and took up his
hat, but as Galt opened the door he lingered an instant and looked at
his wife. She came to him, her eyes shining, and in a flash he realised
that to Eugenia it was a question of his own honour as well as of the
governor's. With a smile he lifted her chin and met her gaze. "Are you
satisfied, my lady?" he asked; but before she could respond he had
joined Galt upon the pavement.

There he paused to light a cigar, while Galt hesitated and looked at his
watch. "I suppose I may leave it in your hands," suggested the older
man. "Diggs isn't on the best of terms with me, you know."

Dudley took the cigar from his mouth and threw the match over the
railing into the grass. "Oh, I'll do my best," he answered readily, "and
I'll see that the statements are delivered to the newspapers at once. I
am as much interested in it as you are. It was a dirty piece of work."
And leaving Galt, he quickened his pace as he crossed the street.

Diggs was at his hotel and somewhat relieved at the sudden turn of
affairs. "Honestly, I hated it," he frankly admitted. "It's the kind of
job I'd like to wash my hands of. But Major Rann took oath on the truth
of the story, and he convinced me that I owed it to the community to
expose Burr's character. I don't know why I believed it, except that it
never occurs to one to doubt evil. However, I'm glad you called. I
assure you I'll take more pleasure in retracting the statements than I
did in making the